Emptying and filling the ballast-tanks of submarine vessels.



H; E. YARROW. EMPTYING AND FILLING THE BALLAST TANKS 0F SUBMARINE VESSELS.

' ,w 4 APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27. I916- I 1939999:

Patentd Sept. 11, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. E. YARROW. EMPTYING AND FILLING 'IHE BALLAST TANKS 0F SUBMARINE VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-27. I916.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nrrn snares PATENT errors.

mate's :EDGAR YARROW, or SOOTSTOUN, ernseow scornnnn.

nl'vr:e rirrn'e AND FILLING THE BALLAST-TANKS or SUBMARINE vnssnns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented i ifipt. ii, rare.

Application filed November 27, 1916. Serial No. 133,778.

I To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known 'thatI, HAROLD EDGAR YAR- ROW, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Scotstoiin, Glasgow, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsRelating to Emptying and Fillmg the Ballast-Tanks of Submarine Vessels,

ofwhich the followingis a specification.

: This invention relates to arrangements for filling and emptying the ballast tanks of submarinevesselso V i i Each ballast tank is usually provided with three valves, viz. a sea valve through which the water enters or leaves a tank, a venting valve to let the air escape when the water is "entering a tank,and a valve through which *compressed air enters to expel the water from a tanls As there are several ballast tanks in a sub marine vessel a large number of valves widely distributed must be operated in a short time when the, displacement of the vessel has to be rapidly altered. According facilitated by the provision of one or more central stations at which there are'levers or the like, each of which is adapted to control the setting of the valves of one tank or of a group of ballast tanks. n the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a part plan of a submarine vessel showing wdiagrammatically the position of the various ballast tanks and their valves and means tanks.

heads shown on the lines in connection with .the lever C. T D is alever for operating'the according to the invention for operating the valves; Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically an example of means for. operating a group of valves by air or llquid under pressure.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation o: a modification or development of the actuating mechanism.

Fig. 4 shows a diagrammatic plan of this mechanism, and i Fig.5 shows the setting ofthe cams.

Referring to Fig. 1 A and B are control levers for operating respectively the valves of the port and starboard external ballast tanks E, B, T. C is a lever for operating the valves of the forward and aft trimming These trimming tanks are situated respectively forwardand aftofthe arrow valves of the main ballast tanksM, B, T. A V are compressed air valves, SV sea valves and VV venting valves.

Referring to Flg. 2, Ass a lever which cylinders,

will be moved to the right is displaced to the extreme position in the other direction, the sea and compressed air valves of the tank or group would be opened, so that the water would be expelled from the tank or group of ballast tanks.

The lever A is connected by a link Z) to a crosshead 0 to which are attached piston rods 6Z1, (Z operating pistons 0 c, 0,, working in cylinders f f f F rom the n F pipes g g 9,, lead to the mechanism ror valves and venting valves of the ballast tanks controlled by the lever A;' from each pipe such as 9,, branch pipes 7L h,,etc., may lead to connections of other valves of the same group, the pipe 9 for example, with its branches controlling the sea valvesof a group. The sea valve 2' is controlled, in the example shown, by means of a piston j in a cylinder is. Compressed air is supplied to a cylinder m through a lead Z and is admitted either through the lead a, to the left of the piston y or through the lead a, to the right of the piston; in the former case the sea valve 71 is closed and in the latter case opened. The admission of air to the leads n de pends upon the position of the piston valve 0 in the cylinder m. In the central position of the valve the supply of compressed air to the cylinder is closed; when the piston valve is moved to the right, air is supplied to the lead a and when moved to the left to the lead m The piston valve 0 is controlled by a small piston 72 sliding in a cylinder the cylinders q and f, are in communication through the fluid contained in the pipe 9,, which may be either compressed air, glycerin, water or other fluid, any movement of the piston 6 being communicated to the piston 79. If the handle of the lever A is moved to the left, the pistons 6 and 77 and the sea valve 2' opened; a movement of the handle of the lever A to the right will cause the valve 2' to be shut. At the same time, the compressed air and venting valves of the same tank will be operated as required by the fluid 1n the leads g and g acting upon devlces similar operating the compressed air, seav the air pressure admitted through the lead Z.

to those described in connection with the sea valve 2'. Also through the branch leads 72.

72. all the sea valves of the same group of ballast tanks may be simultaneously actuated and similarly through branch leads from the pipes g 9 all the compressed air and venting valves of this group -may be The operation of the compressed air ventilating valves and sea :valves may also be controlled d rectly by means of an electro 'motor actuating the spindle olthe valve through worm or rack gearing, the movement of the electro motor bemg controlled by the lever A.

The arrangement may also be such that in the intermedlate posltions of the lever A show nin Fig. 2, other combinations ofthe valve settings may be effected.

For examle 1f the lever A is olaced in an intermedlateposition it could be arranged to open only the venting valves, a further movement of the lever A being requlredto open the sea valves. hen the venting valves only were opened, this would adapt the control for the casein which hand,'or power driven, pumps are used for emptying the ballast tanks.

In Fig. 3, the lever-YA has a central position a, and four other positions 60,, a a (4,. On the shaft A to which this lever is keyed there are fixed three cam" plates, 1', s, '25, as shown in Fig. 4. lVorking in thegrooves .of the cam plates are three crossheads u a and '04,, connected by piston rods (Z (Z and d, to pistons 0 c, and 6 These pistons work in cylinders f f and f whlch are connected, as explainedin connection with 2', respectively, with the compressed air ballast tanks.

valves, sea valves and'venting-valves of the Fig. 5 shows diagrammatically the relative positions of the three cam platesr, s a and t. Whenthe lever A is in the position a all'the valves are shut, the piston rods 65,, (Z, and (Z, being all pulled to the left.

When the lever A is in the position (4,, it

will beseen that the cam plate 13 will not have moved the plston rod (Z as the path of the cam groove is circular from a to a so that the compressed air valves remain shut; the cam plate 8 will, however, have moved the piston rod (Z and, consequently, will have actuated the sea valves; the cam plate at Wlll not have movedthe plston rod (Z and,

hence, the venting valves will remain shut,

50 that with the lever A in the position a only the sea valves will be open.

When the leverA is in the position a, the piston rod cl, will have been moved, as well as the piston" rod 652, but the piston rod (Z willnot have been moved; and in this positionboth the sea valves and the compressed air valves will be open, the venting valves remaining shut. Similarly, with the lever A in the position a the sea valves onlyhwill be open; while in the position at, the sea valves and the ventingvalvesfwill both be open, and the compressed air valves .will remain shut.

' 5 Having thus described'the nature of the said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practicalefiect, I claim: I r i f 1. In a submarine vessel,the combination, with the valves of a group of ballast tanks;

of a controlling member which, byits posi-.

tion, determines the settingofiall of said valves, at whatever parts of the'vessel they may be placed; and non-rigid means, adapted toopen and close the, valves, co'nneetmg said controllingmember with each valve.

2. In a submarine vessel, thecombination,

- with the valves of a group of ballast tanks;

of a controlling member which, by its posi: tion, determines the setting of all. of said valves, at whatever parts of the'vessel they may be placed; andnon-rigid means, adapted to openand close the valves, connecting said controllingmember with each valve by fluid pressure.

3.. In a submarme vessel, the combination,

with the valves of a group of ballast tanks of a controlling member which, by its position, determines thesetting of all of said valves," atwhatevr parts of the vessel they.

maybe placed; a fluid-actuated piston connected to each valve; and, a valv'e'for controlling the direction of movemen't-ofsaid piston, andvitself controlled by the said controlling member. 3 1

4. In a submarine vessel, the combination, with the ,valvesof a group ofballast tanks;

of a controlling member iwhich, by its'posi tion, determines the setting of all of-said valves, at whatever parts of the vessel they may be placed; a fluid-actuated piston connected to each valve; a valve for controlling the direction of movement of said piston; and a fluid-actuated piston for controlling the last-named valve," itself controlled by said controlling member. 7 i

5. In a submarine vessel, thelcombin ation, with thevalves of a group of ballast tanks;- of a controlling member whiehyby its position, determinesthe settingof all of said valves, at whateverparts of the vessel they maybe placed; andznon-rigid-means adapted to open and close the valves, connecting said controlling m'emberwitheach-f valve; the controllingmember-being set table to different positions, so as to efiect various combinations of the valve settings.

6. In a submarine vessel, the combination, with the valves of ballast tanks; of a controlling device for operating said valves by fluid pressure, comprising as many cylinders as there are valves to be operated in each tank, a Jiston in each cylinder, a con trolling mem er by which the pistons are moved, a pipe leading from each of said cylinders, a plurality of cylinders, one for each pipe, to which fluid is conveyed thereby, a piston movable in each second-named cylinder, in accordance with the motion of the corresponding first-named piston, and means operated by the second-named pistons to cause fluid pressure to open and shut the corresponding valves in the said tanks.

7 In a submarine vessel, the combination, with the valves of a group of ballast tanks; of a controlling device for operating said valves by fluid pressure, comprising as many cylinders as there are valves to be operated in each tank, a piston in each cylinder, a controlling member by which the pistons are moved, a branched pipe leading from each or said cylinders, a cylinder in each branch, pistons movable in the second-named cylinders in accordance with the motion of the corresponding first-named piston, and sliding valves operated by the second-named pistons to cause fluid pressure to open and close the corresponding valves in the said tanks.

8. In a submarine vessel, the combination, with the valves of a group of ballast tanks; of a controlling device for operating said valves by fluid pressure, comprising as many cylinders as there are valves to be operated in each tank, a piston in each cylinder, a controlling member by which the pistons are moved, a branched pipe leading from each of said cylinders, a cylinder in each branch, pistons movable in the second-named cylinders in accordance with the motion of the corresponding first-named piston, valves operated by the second-named pistons, compartments wherein the last-named valves are slidably arranged, pipes leading from each end of the compartments, closed chambers to which fluid is conveyed by the last-named pipes, and members movable in said chambers to open and close the corresponding valves in said tanks. w

9. In a submarine vessel, the combination, with the valves of a group of ballast tanks; of a controlling device for operating said valves by fluid pressure, comprising three cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, a lever by which said pistons are moved, a pipe conveying fluid from one of said cylinders and branched to the mechanism operating the sea valves of a group. of ballast tanks, a pipe conveying fluid from another of said cylinders and branched to the mechanism operating the vent valves of the group of ballast tanks, a pipe conveying fluid from the third cylinder and branched to the mechanism operating the compressed air valves of the group of ballast tanks, and means operated by the fluid in said pipes to open and close by fluid pressure the corresponding valves in the group of ballast tanks.

10. In a submarine vessel, the combina tion, with the valves of a group of ballast tanks; of a controlling device for operating said valves by fluid pressure, comprising three cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, a lever by which the said pistons are moved, a pipe conveying fluid from one of said cylinders and branched to the mechanism operating the sea valves of a group of ballast tanks, a pipe conveying fluid from another of said cylinders and branched to the mechanism operating the vent valves of the group of ballast tanks, a pipe conveying fluid from the third cylinder and branched to the mechanism operating the compressed air valves of the group ofballast tanks, and means operated by the fluid in the said pipes, so that when said lever is displaced in one direction the sea and venting valves of the group of tanks are opened, and when the lever is displaced in the other direction the sea and compressed air valves of the groups of tanks are opened.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD E. YARROW.

lVitnesses:

JAMES RITCHIE, JOHN L. MAWER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

